Alkanes and Alkenes Radical Initiated Chlorination of 1-Chlorobutane

Alkanes and Alkenes Radical Initiated Chlorination of 1-Chlorobutane 

Most of the alkanes from petroleum are used to produce energy by combustion, but a few percent are converted to industrially useful compounds by controlled reaction with oxygen or chlorine. The alkanes are inert to attack by most chemical reagents and will react with oxygen and halogens only under the special conditions of radical initiated reactions. 

At room temperature an alkane such as butane will not react with chlorine. In order for a reaction to occur 

It is unlikely that the necessarily precise orientation of the two reacting molecules will be found. They must, of course, be within bonding distance of each other as well, so steric factors play a part. 

If a concerted four-center reaction won t work, then an alternative possibility is a stepwise mechanism  

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Chapter 13 Alkanes and Alkenes Radical Initiated Chlorination of 1 -Chlorobutane... 

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